I hope you were able to soak up the beautiful weather this weekend and enjoyed some quality time outdoors. My family and I spent most of our weekend outside getting some much-needed yard work completed and walking the trails near our home. I am not sure if I should be happy that the weather is so nice in February or worried that we might start experiencing 100-degree weather earlier this year. For now, I am going to enjoy it 😁

As we transition into a new week, I wanted to share my excitement with you all. This week is shaping up to be quieter for me, which I am thrilled about! It means I'll have more opportunities to get into classrooms and observe the wonderful learning experiences taking place. I am looking forward to connecting with students and witnessing their academic growth.

Thank you all for your continued support of Kealing Middle School.

Have a wonderful week

Mr. Estes

• February 26 - Girls' Soccer vs. Small
• February 26 - Boys' Basketball vs. Bailey
• February 27 - Ultimate Frisbee Parent Meeting
• February 28 - McCallum High School Campus Choice Sheet Completion
• February 29 - Kealing Connects Volunteer Orientation
• March 2 - Kealing Community Garden & Grounds Day
• March 4 & 5 - Tennis Tryouts
• March 11 - 15 - Spring Break

Each week, we will recognize our fellow Hornets who exemplify our campus-wide values and who have been MEETING and EXCEEDING our campus-wide expectations. We are ALL working hard each day to show each other and our school community kindness, respect, loyalty and safety. Here are this week's salutes.

From Ms. Hill: Vincent Wang deserves a huge shoutout as he was the Gold Medalist for the MathWorks Math Contest run by Texas State. I think Vincent's our first gold medalist in this particular competition.

From Ms. Bruch: Colton Krosta assisted a classmate who was feeling ill during class. He showed true compassion and friendship. Colton exemplifies the true meaning of kindness.

From Ms. Krumrey: Victoria Contreas deserves a Stinger Salute for her loyalty and excellent work in ELA class. She is a critical thinker and has become an excellent writer this year. I also appreciate her positivity and kindness.

From Ms. Krumrey: Alayna Fuentes deserves a Stinger Salute for her loyalty. She is a good listener and perseveres on challenging assignments. Alayna attends class faithfully and completes her work with diligence.

From Ms. Payan: Coral Pettiss is an engaged student whose questions increase our whole class's understanding of the objectives of our activities. She is loyal to her learning and classmates. Thanks Coral!

Congratulations to this week's Stinger Salute recipients!!!

Congratulations to Kealing MathCounts Team who recently won 1st place in the 2024 Chapter Mathcounts Competition on 2/10 with the dedicated help from coach Quan Hui. The team members included Vincent Wang, Hyun-jin Kim, Ethan Gu, Zihan Mao. Additionally, Vincent Wang, Hyun-jin Kim, and Ethan Gu won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place as individuals respectfully. Their hard work truly earned them this great achievement! The 4 of them will be advancing to the Mathcounts State Competition, which will be held in Dallas on the 23rd of March.

This past week, several Hornets participated in the Austin Regional Science Fair. We would like to recognize all of the students who participated in the event. Thank you for representing Kealing well.

In the final game of the regular season, Kealing basketball played well against O'Henry Middle School this past Thursday but ultimately fell to the Cougars in some hard-fought games. Congratulations to all of our basketball players and coaches on a great season.

Our 7th grade A team will begin tournament play, Monday, February 26th at home starting at 6 pm.

Girls' soccer had two great wins on Saturday against O'Henry Middle School. Congratulations to both teams on a successful season and the A team for being Zone Champions.

We will begin competing for the city championship on Monday, February 26th. Our Hornets will take on Small Middle School at Burger Field starting at 6 pm.

Kealing Ultimate Frisbee Parent Meeting (Zoom details to follow)
Learn about our team and spring opportunities to play Ultimate!

Feb 27, 2024 06:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://austinisd-org.zoom.us/j/82493315858?pwd=UEFFT1FFaUJma0lSSkRURkdiUjVwdz09

Meeting ID: 824 9331 5858
Passcode: KMSulti24

All 7th and 8th Graders interested in joining the Kealing Track and Field Team should plan to attend an informational meeting on Thursday, March 7th at 3:00 in the cafeteria. This will be a short informational meeting, no more than 30 minutes, and will be your chance to have your questions answered about the upcoming season.

Practice will begin the week we return from Spring Break. Direct questions to Mr. Speed, brant.speed@austinisd.org

Tennis Tryouts (weather permitting) will take place on Monday, March 4th & Tuesday, March 5 from 3:15 - 5:00. There may be callbacks if the number of students trying out makes it necessary. Just a reminder that students must have a sports physical on file.

The spring semester of the Kealing bike club will be underway soon! For the returning riders (who attended an orientation in the fall), the first official bike club ride will be on Thursday, March 7th from 3pm-4:45pm. Returning riders do NOT need to attend another orientation this semester.

Do you want to participate in bike club rides this semester but didn't attend an orientation last fall? I will be holding a safe cycling orientation on Thursday, February 29th at 3pm in rm. 516. In order to participate in the spring rides, you MUST attend this orientation. Email Mr. Shoaf at william.shoaf@austinisd.org with any questions. See you there!

Help our students thrive! Assist in a classroom, meet one-on-one with a student, come to lunch, or help with after-school tutoring. The last volunteer orientation of the year will take place Thursday, 2/29, at 8am at Kealing. Please complete this form to let us know more about your availability and interest. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdH92PvrEX8QgEqhVfl4OUFRw2v07eGQFeeLupXHYO8kCjFkw/viewform?usp=sf_link

The Kealing Boys' Group was reinstated this year and meets weekly during Advisory with Mr. Felan and Mr. Aparicio. This group of students was identified by teachers, staff, and administration and focuses on community, communication, and collaboration, while also creating behavioral and academic goals.

We have again partnered with Project Males, a group of UT students, who provide mentorship to our students. This past week's lesson focused on College and Career Readiness.

Last week there was a high level of energy and school spirit in the Kealing gym as we hosted our spring pep assembly. Students and staff were treated to performances from the Kealing Band and Kealing Cheerleaders. Boys' basketball, Girls' soccer, MathCounts, Kealing Robotics, and Kealing Archery were all recognized for their accomplishments this semester. The audience also enjoyed teachers being blindfolded and led through an obstacle course by students while carrying an egg.

Friday evening, Austin ISD hosted the 44th Annual African American Heritage Celebration Ceremony, to highlight the accomplishments and talents of students, staff, and community members. It was a wonderful event but what made the evening even more special, was that several of our Hornets were recognized for their academic accomplishments. Our very own, Frankie Mendoza was also recognized for all his work as a Restorative Practices Coordinator.

Save the Date! March 2 at 10:00am. Join Kealing families and staff for a school-wide gardening and campus clean-up event. Sign up here to volunteer.

We are pleased to announce our Middle School Newcomer Summer School program for current 6, 7, and 8 grade newcomer students (coded ESL or Dual Language). The criteria to participate in this program is the following:

• Students enrolled in a U.S. school for 3 years or less, and;

• TELPAS reading rating of beginning or intermediate

The goal of the Middle School Newcomer Summer Program is to accelerate students’ English and literacy skills through Science, Math, and Reading project-based learning activities. The program will be held at Bedichek MS and Webb MS. Classes will run Monday through Thursday each week from June 3 - June 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eligible students will be offered transportation, breakfast, and lunch.

Summer School registration will begin on Monday, March 4, 2024 and forms will be due by Friday, April 5th, 2024.